Bale-buckle.



H. P. CHILDRESS.

BALE BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY20,1916,'

1 240,672. Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY HENDERSON P. CHILDRESS, OF MEMPHIS, TENN BALE-BUCKLE.

Application filed May 20, 1916. Serial No, 98,902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENDERSON P. CHIL- DRESS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Bale-Buckle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to bale In accordance with the present invention the buckle is a one piece wire structure suit ably bent to form an end bar, two side bars, andanother end bar formed by overlapping extensions of the side bars, each terminating in angle prolongations or hooks, one of which is further extended into a side eXtension and return portion suitably spaced apart in a direction corresponding to the length of the buckle so as to engage and underride the tucked-in end of the applied loop-of the bale band on the bale side thereof, whereby the tucked-in end is brought into such strongfrictional engagement with the other portion. of the bale band loop that rendering is practically obviated;

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part,

of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may, be

changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the non-rendering interlocking bale buckle with the bale band applied; and shownin section, but withthe parts in the initial'position; that is, before the baleis released from the com.-

press.- Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept, 18, 191 7.

of Fig. 1 as viewed from the left hand side thereof.

Fig. 3-is a view similar to Fig. 2 but omitting the bale band and showing the position of the parts when the buckle is subjected to expansive forces occurring when applied to a bale and the latter is released from the compress. i

Fig. 4 is a section on the line let of Fig. l with the bale band omitted.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. l but with the buckle pulled; that is, with the parts-in position due to the expansive force of the bale exerted upon the buckle. I

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the buckle with the bale band in section, showing a step in the application of the second loop of-the bale band to the buckle.

In the drawings the buckle is shownas of 1 a one-piece wire construction, it beingunderstood that the wire is ofsuitable gage, but because of the peculiar construction of the buckle there is no liability of any parts of the buckle pulling apart or pulling out, and therefore the gage of the wire need only be large enough to resist extension of the material of the buckle under the expansive force of the bale.

The buckle of the present invention'in so far as'the interlocking parts are concerned is shown, described and claimed in another application for a bale buckle filed by me on even date herewith, and consequently no claims are made herein to the interlocking features per se, but only to the combined" interlocking and non-rendering features of the buckle. v

In accordance with the present invention the buckle comprises an end bar 1 designed to receive an end loop 2 of a bale band, suchloop being customarily applied at the bench, and

when the bale band and buckleare applied to a bale in the compress and reduced to the desired size, the buckle usually hangs pendentlyso-that the end bar 1 may be considered as p the upper end bar. The buckle also comprises side bars 3, 4, respectively, each having at the lower end an extension 5, 6, respectively.

The extensions are of a length to overlap so that each extension is prolonged beyond the corresponding end of the other extension toward the sidebar from which said other extension proceeds. The extension 5 terminates in a hook 7, so termed because aswill hereinafter appearit serves the purpose of a hook in conjunction with another hook 8 formed on the outer end of the extension 6. The hooks 7 and 8 are together located about midwayof the width of the buckle so as to be inclosed or imprisoned in or embraced by the other end loop 9 of the bale band which engages about the extensions 5 and 6, so that these extensions constitute the other or lower end bar of the buckle. The hooks 7 and 8 are suitably bent with relation to the extensions 5 and 6 to be located exterior to the body of the buckle, being directed away from the extensions 5 and 6 on the sides thereof remote from the end bar 1. The hooks 7 and 8 are further bent so that what may be termed theirextremities are closer together than are the throats 10, 11 of these hooks, that is, those portions of the hooks where joining the extensions 5 and 6. Furthermore, the hooks are bent toward each other in the direction .of the line of separation of the extensions 5 and 6 one from the other, but the hooks in the initial position of the parts of the buckle, as well as the extensions and 6, are always sufliciently separated to. provide an entering end to the buckle through which the loop 9 of the bale band may be threaded.

The hook 7 does not end like the hook 8, but is continued in the form of a side extension 12 which may be approximately in the general intermediate plane of the body of the buckle; that is, a plane extending lengthwise of the end bar 1. The extension 12 terminates in an angle prolongation 13 approximately at right angles to the extension 12 and substantially or nearly parallel with a prolongation of the side bar 3. At the end of the angle prolongation l3 remote from the side extension 12 there is a further prolongation in the form of a return member- 1% extending toward a line representing a prolongation of the side 4 and long enough to extend acrossthe loop line of the bale band when applied to the buckle.

WVhen the loop 9 is applied to the buckle or carried by the loop 2 and with the band encircling the compressed bale, the loop 9 is threaded on to the extension 6 and hook 8 until within the body of the buckle and be yond the hook end 7 of the extension 5. The buckle has to be swung to one side upon the loop 2 to permit its manipulation, and then is swung back again so that the hook 7 .and prolongation 5 moveinto the loop 9, While the tucked end of the latter is so directed that the return member 141- constituting a part of the non-rendering end of the buckle enters behind the loop 9 and its tucked-in end, that is, it passes on that side of the loop 9 toward the bale.

Now, the hooks 7 and 8 and the extensions 5 and 6 are within the loop 9 with the return portion 14 back of the loop. lVith the parts thus located the bale is released from the compress, whereupon the expansive force of the bale is exerted upon the loop 9 tending to draw it away from the loop 2. The first efleet is to squeeze or compress the hooks 7 and 8 toward each other, this being the direction of least resistance, and the extensions 5 and 6 are therefore brought into side engagement, with the hooks overlapping in a direction perpendicular to the mid plane of the body of the buckle. The next efi'ect of the expansive force of the bale, which force can no longer be exerted to compress the hooks and extensions 5 and 6 toward each other, is resolved into a force tending to pull the extensions 5 and 6 away from the end bar 1. The result of this is that the hooks 7 and 8 have those ends remote from the extensions 5 and 6 moved into engagement and as these hooks already have been brought into overlapping engagement, their throats 10 and 11 meet and the hooks mutually become engaged one with the other. The expansive force of the bale being resisted by the refusal of the buckle to further yield then holds the two legs of the loop 9 in firm compressive engagement with the entering end of the buckle effectively locking the hooks against any tendency to spring apart while the hooks themselves being in close engagement at their throats 10 and 11 effectively resist any tendency to spread the buckle or to pull the extensions 5 and 6 away from the end bar, 1.

In the meantime the tucked-in end of the loop 9 is turned rather sharply aboutv the return member 1 1 constituting the non-rendering member of the buckle, so that the tucked-in end of the loop 9 is forced against the outer leg of the loop 9 so strongly that the friction thus produced effectively overcomes any tendency of the loop 9 to render.

There is therefore provided a buckle which when applied to the bale will not yield to any force short of a force destructive to the material from which the buckle is made and, moreover, the bale band cannot under the exertion of any force of which the bale is capable be caused to render.

The interlocking entering end of the buckle is entirely inclosed by the loop 9 of the bale band constituting the bale applied end of the band and the bulge caused by the overlapping hooks contributes to the non-rendering feature of the buckle by more or less indenting or crimping the particular portionof the band engaged by it without,- however, tending in any way to tear the band.

In order to prevent the tucked-in end of the loop 9 of the bale band from tending to force the hook 8 from its interlocking engagement with the hook 7, the extreme end of the hook 8 is beveled, as shown at 15, so as to avoid any material engagement plf tlliie tucked-in end of the loop 9 with such Because of the intimate mutual interlocking of the hooks 7 and 8 and the confining of these hooks in the locked position by the applied loop 9 of the bale band, the gage of the wire employed may be much less than that which would be necessary to prevent drawing out of the entering end of the buckle in the absence of the interlocking hooks 7 and 8. Since bale bands are sold by the pound this means that many more buckles are supplied to the pound when said buckles are made in accordance with the present invention than would 'be the case with a buckle depending solely upon the resistance of the material to forces tending to bend it.

What is claimed is 1. A one-piece wire bale buckle, comprising an end bar, two side bars and respective extensions of the side bars overlapping to form another end bar remote from the first end bar, both extensions having their extremities formed into hooks exterior to the buckle and on the side of the entering end of the buckle remote from the first-named end bar, one of the hooks having a prolongation in the form of a side extension and a return thereof in spaced relation to said side extension on the side of the latter remote from the body of the buckle to constitute a non-rendering member to engage the looped end of a bale band applied to the entering end of the buckle.

2. A one-piece wire bale buckle having end and side bars, one end bar comprising the entering end of the buckle and formed byoverlapping extensions of the respective side bars with one extension terminating in a hook and the other extension being provided with a hook, said hooks being spaced apart in the direction of the width of the buckle and the ends of the hooks remote of the bale band and constituting a nonrendering member engaging that loop of the bale band applied to the entering end bar of the buckle.

3. A one-piece wire bale buckle having end and side bars, one end bar comprising the entering end of the buckle and formed by overlapping extensions of the respective side bars, one extension terminating in a hook and the other extension being provided witha hook, said hooks being bent away from the entering end of the buckle on the side thereof remote from the other end bar and spaced apart in the direction of the width of the buckle and at the ends remote from the extensions approaching toward each other so as to mutually interlock under the pull of the bale band, the secondnamed hook having a prolongation extending in a direction cross-wise of that loop of the bale band applied to the entering end of the buckle and having a return portion also extending cross-wise of the applied loop of the bale band and bent with relation to the plane of the body of the buckle and of the extension carrying it to lie on the bale side of the applied loop, whereby said return portion constitutes a non-rendering member for the buckle.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

HENDERSON P. CHILDRESS.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, MARm L. LEWIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

